The Bible IS God's Word!

Our Friday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

To start the New Year right, our Wednesday Night Women’s Bible group has chosen to study the actual BIBLE itself during the month of January.

Many of our ladies shared last night that they have grown up always just accepting the Bible as God’s Word, but never really stopped to consider exactly WHY they believe that to be true. Some experienced a falling away in their younger years but have returned and found a renewed passion for studying the Bible, but we need to remember that we can have complete confidence in the fact that the Bible IS God’s literal and inerrant Word to us today. In today’s world, there is ever increasing challenge to the TRUTH, and continuous efforts to discount, discredit or dismiss the Bible as any kind of authority in the life of the believer or as an influence in our world. It is not just a book with paper and printing, it is not a history book that just recounts tales of ficticious characters, it is Cults are usually started by individuals not liking what the Bible in it’s original format says about certain things, so they “amend” what God said as if He must have misspoke in times past or just didn’t understand that He has to “keep up with the times”. The beauty of God is that He is the SAME… yesterday, today, and yes FOREVER. His Word remains the Same, He doesn’t change His mind or rethink what He may have said about topics of our day. There is truth to be applied to every situation in today’s world, and that truth is found in the pages of your Bible. It is a living, breathing document that has stood the test of time. The question we must ask ourselves is how can we know that the Bible is the Word of God and not just a good book?

There are both internal and external evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word. Here are some of the things we discussed last night:

Internal evidences that indicate the Bible is truly the Word of God.

The first internal evidences that the Bible is truly God’s Word is seen in its unity. Even though it is really sixty-six individual books, written on three continents, in three different languages, over a period of approximately 1500 years, by more than 40 authors who came from many walks of life, the Bible remains one unified book from beginning to end without contradiction. This unity is unique from all other books and is evidence of the divine origin of the words which God moved men to record.

Secondly, the fulfilled prophecies contained within its pages prove it’s Divine authorship. The Bible contains hundreds of detailed prophecies relating to the future of individual nations including Israel, certain cities, and mankind. Other prophecies concern the coming of One who would be the Messiah, the Savior of all who would believe in Him. Unlike the prophecies found in other religious books or those by men such as Nostradamus, biblical prophecies are extremely detailed. o There are over three hundred prophecies concerning Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Not only was it foretold where He would be born and His lineage, but also how He would die and that He would rise again. There simply is no logical way to explain the fulfilled prophecies in the Bible other than by divine origin. o There is no other religious book with the extent or type of predictive prophecy that the Bible contains.

Third is its unique authority and power. The Bible’s authority is unlike any other book ever written. This authority and power are best seen in the way countless lives have been transformed by the supernatural power of God’s Word. Drug addicts have been cured by it, homosexuals set free by it, derelicts and deadbeats transformed by it, hardened criminals reformed by it, sinners rebuked by it, and hate turned to love by it. The Bible does possess a transforming power that is only possible because it is truly God’s Word.

External evidences that indicate the Bible is truly the Word of God.

One is the historical and archaeological accuracy of the Bible. Because the Bible details historical events, its truthfulness and accuracy are subject to verification like any other historical document. Through archaeological and scientific evidences and other writings, the historical accounts of the Bible have been proven time and time again to be accurate and true. o Archaeological and manuscript evidence supporting the Bible makes it the best-documented book from the ancient world. As science and archaeology continue to explore the regions mentioned in the Bible, areas that were previously questioned are now being discovered EXACTLY where the Bible said they were and under the conditions God indicated their final state would be! o The Bible accurately and truthfully records historically verifiable events when dealing with religious subjects and doctrines and helps substantiate its claim to be the very Word of God.

Secondly, the integrity of its human authors. God used men from many walks of life to record His words. In studying the lives of these men, we find them to be honest and sincere. The fact that they were willing to die often excruciating deaths for what they believed testifies that these ordinary yet honest men truly believed God had spoken to them. The men who wrote the New Testament and many hundreds of other believers (1 Corinthians 15:6) knew the truth of their message because they had seen and spent time with Jesus Christ after He had risen from the dead. Remember how the disciples scattered when Jesus was arrested and crucified? They went from hiding in fear to being willing to die for the message God had revealed to them. Their lives and deaths testify to the fact that the Bible truly is God’s Word.

Thirdly, is the indestructibility of the Bible. Because of its importance and its claim to be the very Word of God, the Bible has suffered more vicious attacks and attempts to destroy it than any other book in history. From early Roman Emperors like Diocletian, through communist dictators and on to modern-day atheists and agnostics, the Bible has withstood and outlasted all of its attackers and is still today the most widely published book in the world. In countries where the Bible is outlawed, people become “walking Bibles’ and still carry the Word to their churches and their communities and it still has that same Power that comes from the Word of God being proclaimed. All the efforts of man cannot stop the power that comes from reading, hearing and applying the Word of God. There is no other writing in existence that has that same power!

Remember that Jesus (The Word made flesh- John 1) said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). As believers, we can always rely on God’s Word to be found in the Bible that you and I carry. We need to spend time every day in it, and feel confident that it is truth for us. Get excited when you read it, let the Holy Spirit guide you as you feel God BREATHE into your soul as the words fill your mind with assurance, peace, comfort, guidance, correction and JOY! Allow the scriptures to equip YOU for every good work.

Shalom,
sister Lahoma

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